~Finding Encouragement Through God's Word~

Encouragement

For You formed my inward parts;You covered me in my mother’s womb.I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Psalm 139:13-14a

Have you ever noticed how little children want to impress those they admire the most.

I work with kids every day and I see it many times over. One child brings a new toy to school and what is the first thing he says? “See my new toy!” One child learns to dribble a basketball and he can not wait to show the bigger boys who are on the basketball team how well he can bounce that ball.

I see it with my own children every day. One finally passes a level on a game he is playing (Please, no hate mail. Yes, I let my children play video games 😉 ) and the first thing he want to do is show it to me or his dad. When our little girl learned to put her own hair in a pony tail she could not wait to show me how she could do it herself. Our children love to play music; when they can finally make that chord they have been working to make we must stop what we are doing and listen.

Children are always searching for acceptance in the world. Sometimes it is from friends. “Other times it is from their own siblings. Often times it is from a parent.

As I thought about the need for acceptance, I thought to myself, “Children are not the only ones who feel this way.” Even as adults we often try to prove ourselves to each other. Too many times we work very hard to be seen by those around us. I will not even begin to list the ways in which we do this. I am sure that even now each of us is thinking of one situation or another in which we try to gain the acceptance of our peers.

Do we not do the same thing with God? How many times do we bring our abilities to God and say, “Look God! See what I can do.”

Friends, we do not have to try to impress God. Our worth is not in how much money we make or what car we drive. God does not place a value on us depending on our job or relationship status. God loves us just as we are.

Our verse today says that He knew us while we were still in the womb. God knitted us together Himself. God wants us to come to Him just as we are. God desires for us to bring Him all our imperfections and lay them at His feet.

You see, with God all things are beautiful. In our own hands they are nothing more than filthy rags. It is only when we lay them at the feet of our Savior that He will take our gifts and use them to bring honor and glory to His name.

I want to encourage you today. Stop trying so hard to impress those around you. Do not let the world tell you that your worth lies in what you have or what you can do, and stop trying to prove your worth to God. He loves you just as you are. John 3:16 tell us that God loves us so much that He gave His one and only Son to die for us. We did not do anything to earn that love, nor can we ever earn it. It is a free gift, given from a Savior who knows we are worth dying for.

I pray today that you will see your worth in God’s eyes. Offer Him your gifts, not trying to earn his acceptance, but as an offering of praise for all that He has done for you.

Like this:

“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,the fruit of the womb a reward.” Psalm 127:3

Today our family will embark on a new journey.

We are headed into uncharted territory.

We are officially the parents of a teenager!! Today our oldest son, Big D turns 13 years old.

As this day has quickly approached, I have found myself filled with mixed emotions. On one hand, I am extremely excited to see what the future holds for our family and for our son, yet on the other hand I feel a bit unsure and unprepared for what is to come.

This new time in our lives has brought me back to where it all started. 13 years ago, today, I was a 19 year old girl with no idea how my world was about to change. I was young and believed that I knew it all. (You see, teenagers think that for some reason.) I had not really considered the future to any extent and I surely had not thought far enough ahead to realize that one day I would be raising a teenager!

I was a newlywed. My head was still in the clouds.

Even as I sit here now and look back on that time, I shake my head and chuckle under my breath at the naivety. Praise God, He has carried us through all these years!

Today we celebrate this new trek of our adventure. We boldly (and prayerfully) march into an entirely new phase of life. As the shock wears off, I am more and more excited to begin this new journey. I have loved being a mom since that first day, 13 years ago, and I have enjoyed every stop of this adventure since then.

While I do understand that children do not come with an instruction booklet, I am confident in the assurance that God has given us all the instruction we will need in His word. As our children grow, I find myself holding onto God’s promises more and more. I would like to share some of these promises with you this morning.

Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Deuteronomy 6:5-7 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

Proverbs 29:17 “Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.”

2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”

I hope that you have enjoyed listening to this overwhelmed Mom ramble on about a new phase in life. I also pray that it has somehow encouraged your heart. I truly believe that children are a gift straight from the Lord. As a parent you think that you are teaching your children life lessons every day, but I must say that I learn so many things from my children on a daily basis. I feel very honored to carry the title Mom to these three “not so little any more” blessings of ours, and I am thrilled to see what God has in store for our future.

Like this:

“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
Luke 2:14

Are you having trouble finding peace this Christmas season?

Oftentimes Christmas is thought about as a time of joy and laughter and presents. However, my heart has been burdened lately for the ones around me who are hurting this Christmas season.

As I sit and think about those who will be spending their first Christmas without a loved one, I wonder how they will find peace. Then, my heart is touched by Romans 15:13 which reads: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Friends, this verse reminds me that peace can only come from God. It is not found in any present. Peace can not be bought or made. Peace comes from knowing that no matter what we are facing right now, God is in control. You see, the only way to know true peace is to know its source, Jesus Christ.

I want to encourage you today. If you are facing trials this Christmas season that are making it difficult for you to find peace in your heart, look to Jesus. He is the giver of peace. If you will allow Him to come in and fill you with his love, peace will come as well.

Let us remember to pray for those who are hurting. May God wrap them in His comfort and bring peace to their hearts today.

Like this:

“As you do not know what is the way of the wind, Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, So you do not know the works of God who makes everything.” Ecclesiastes 11:5

Do you ever find yourself trying to figure it all out?

I will tell you something about myself that you may not know. I am a fixer, a problem solver.

When I was a little girl, I once took my bike apart because it was not working properly and I was determined to fix it. I had no problem getting the bike apart, however, putting it back together was a totally different story. After many failed attempts I had to ask my Dad to help fix my mess.

Even now as an adult, I find myself in situations where I feel the need to figure it all out. If there is something going on in life that I do not understand then I feel it is my job to figure it out. If there is a problem, I feel as if I should fix it.

There are times when this type of personality can be helpful, yet there are other times when I get so busy trying to figure life out that I forget to practice my faith.

More times than not, I end up making a bigger mess of things. I find myself in the same situation I was in when I was a little girl. I have to go to my Dad for help. This time, however, I am speaking of my Heavenly Father, the creator of the universe.

After all my failed attempts at fixing my own problems or figuring out a situation for myself, I take my tangled mess and lay it at the feet of Jesus. I humbly confess that I just can not do it on my own. Each time I do this I am met with forgiveness and compassion. Jesus takes my mess and does what I can never do on my own. He makes it beautiful in His time.

The verse I have shared today is from one of my morning devotions. As I read this Scripture I was reminded that I do no always have to understand everything and that I do not have to fix everything. Oh, what peace I felt in my heart when I read the words in Ecclesiastes 11:5: “So you do not know the works of God who makes everything.”

Friend, if you are a fixer like I am, let me encourage you today. Stop trying to figure it all out. Life is full of things we do not understand. Praise God, we were not put on this earth to wander and struggle through each day. We have a Heavenly Father that understands all, knows all, and sees all. If we will stop trying to fix it ourselves and hand it over to Him, He will make beauty out of even the most impossible situation.

What are you holding onto today? What problem have you been trying to fix yourself, only to find that it is an even bigger mess now? Give it to God. Lay it at His feet. Confess that you can not figure this out on your own, and allow God to take it. You will be amazed at the outcome.

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”

Romans 8:26

I am about to tell you something that may take you by surprise. Lately, I have not had much to say. I know, SHOCKING, right? Believe it or not, even “talkers” such as myself feel the need to be quiet from time to time. Yet, I am still amazed at the way God can take our silence and use it to minister to others.

Last night my husband and I were having a casual conversation about EFED and my lack of new posts recently. I began to explain to him that it takes a lot mentally and emotionally to write. Through some trials I have been facing I have found myself at a loss for words. I continued to explain that I have searched for the words to share, however, I have not been able to escape the inadequacy that I have felt in trying to pass along words of encouragement while my heart was so torn.

In the process of that conversation, it was as if God whispered to my heart, “Share that.” God has been whispering to my heart a lot lately. Or, maybe it is just that I have been listening extra carefully. However, in that moment I realized that even our silence can be used to encourage others.

The verse I chose for today is very dear to my heart. Recently I have found myself in a place where I am unsure how to pray. You see, even in my prayer life I am finding myself at a loss for words. The devil has tried to use this situation to silence me, but oh the comfort my soul feels when I read the words, “but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”

Through my trial, God has helped me to realize that I am still precious to Him. He has helped me to see that even through my pain I can be used by God, and that even when I can not find the words to pray I can go to God, broken and silent. God does not need my words to know what I need. He can see my heart.

Friend, maybe you have found yourself here as well. Let me offer you some encouragement today. If your heart is breaking, if your soul is burdened, and if you find yourself at a loss for words, do not let the devil silence you. Use your trial to minister to others, and keep praying. God sees your heart. He knows your pain, and He will intercede for you with wordless groans.